“Our kids are incredibly proud to have been chosen to represent the entire state in a national parade,” says Marie DeBellis, Viking Band Assistant Director. “But more than instilling pride, this trip will give these students the opportunity to learn more about American history, government and patriotism first-hand through educational field trips they will take, and the veterans and national leaders they will meet while they are in Washington, D.C. Many of our students have never traveled outside of the Bryan-College Station area. This trip may be their only opportunity to visit our nation’s capital.”

Sponsored by the American Veterans Center in Arlington, Va., the National Memorial Day Parade brings together select marching bands and veteran units from each of the 50 states for a three-hour procession on Constitution Avenue between 7th St. and 17th St, alongside the National Mall. The parade, which also features large patriotic floats and helium-filled balloons, honors veterans who served in both World Wars, the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, Desert Storm, and the liberations of Grenada, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 10,000 people participate in the parade each year.